Day 1 - Thursday 21st May 2015
Being a destination we had
both been eager to visit and with Central Park well known as a migrant hotspot
during the epic spring migration, we booked 10 days in what is perhaps the most
well-known city in the world – New York.
Whilst this bustling hub of metropolitan life may not at first glance
seem a typical birding destination, the parks attract an incredible array of
species during spring and autumn migration, with over 20 species of warbler
waiting to be found on a typical May morning. Also home to such iconic sights
as the Empire State Building, Times Square and the Statue of Liberty, as well
as the natural wonder that is Niagara Falls being easily accessible through
flights to Buffalo, New York was the perfect choice for our first journey in to
American birding.
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The famous view of Central Park and the Manhattan skyline |
Basing ourselves at the Park
Central Hotel in Manhattan for the duration of our stay, we were just 3 blocks
from the entrance of Central Park, and with one of New York’s many tube
stations situated right outside our hotel, the rest of New York was easily
accessible to us via public transport, meaning we managed to explore 3 of New
York’s 5 boroughs during our stay (Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens). With
a wealth of parks and wildlife refuges scattered through New York offering the
many birds passing through a place to rest up during migration, a fantastic
diversity of species can surprisingly be found living alongside the 8 million
people that call the city their home, and without doubt, this was the best trip
that both of us have been on to date.
Landing at JFK airport just
after lunch, despite the 7 hour flight there was no time to rest. After
checking in to our hotel 3 hours later (the border queues at the airport were
huge!) we immediately took the 5 minute walk to perhaps what is the most iconic
park in the world to begin our trip – Central Park.
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The famous Sheep Meadow in Central Park |
Having already familiarised
ourselves with the species we should come face to face with and having tried to
memorise the calls, along with our Sibley Guide we were well equipped to begin
our adventure, despite neither of us having any experience with American birds
apart from the strays and vagrants that make it across to Britain.
Completely artificially
created and nestled within the towering skyscrapers, Central Park is an
absolute mecca for birds during May, with the peak usually occurring during the
second week. Luckily for us, migration this year was late, as we weren’t able
to fly out until the 21st, giving us the whole of the last week and
part of the third to see what goodies we could unearth. With their bright
colours, vibrant patterns, and often quirky names, warblers were naturally high
up on our list and were the main focus during our time in New York’s parks.
Taking bets as to what the
first new bird we’d spot would be (Alex thought Chimney Swift while I went for
Great Blue Heron due to JFK being so close to the water) we were both proved
wrong, with that honour going to the classic American Robin.
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American Robin - our first new species in America! |
Hopping around on the grass
just a few feet from the entrance, we had our first American species in all its
glory – much larger than I had expected and more similar in size and structure
to a Blackbird than a Robin. I couldn’t resist stopping to take a series of
photos (despite Alex telling me we had to focus on the rarer species on our
first day and not get distracted by the common) although this was definitely justified
as these initial shots proved to be my best of American Robins throughout the
whole trip!
Dragging me away and heading
in the direction of the Ramble, we soon racked up some of the commoner species.
A Blue Jay taking advantage of some leftover bread was just as beautiful in
real life as depicted in our books, while the bright red flash of a Northern
Cardinal looked positively tropical in comparison to our normal backyard birds
at home. Huge flocks of House Sparrows and Starlings also provided a touch of
familiarity, having been introduced here and thriving in the urban landscape of
Manhattan.
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Blue Jays were relatively common |
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Northern Cardinals were also a regular sight |
Turning a corner, we were suddenly greeted by a large, bright orange bird, sunshine yellow in colouration with a black face and bill. Was it a warbler? We struggled to get an ID before our brains clicked in to gear – Baltimore Oriole – of course!
Much smaller than I had
imagined, we watched as this beautifully vibrant bird hopped along the fence
line, leading us straight to two sparrows that were also busy feeding -
differently marked from the surrounding House Sparrows. With bright orange caps
and a strong white stripe above their eyes, we were quite surprised to come
across this pair of Chipping Sparrows, a species not often reported in Central
Park. This small 5m2 patch of grass was seemingly on fire with
birds, as just seconds later a thrush hopped in to view and perched obligingly
on the fence – putting our limited knowledge of American Thrush ID to the test!
Originally calling it as a Veery due to the pale speckling on the chest, we
later re-identified it from photos as a Swainson’s Thrush (our most frequently
encountered Thrush in America) due to the prominent white ‘spectacles’
surrounding the eye – a handy feature for distinguishing this species.
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Chipping Sparrow and Swainson's Thrush together |
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The spectacle marking around the eyes gave the ID away as our first Swainson's Thrush |
Moving on down the path, we
caught sight of our first Cedar Waxwings, a small group positioned at the tops
of the trees opposite, slightly obscured by the branches but giving away their
presence by their high pitched calls. Numerous throughout our trip and at
nearly every location we visited, these American waxwings differ from our
familiar Bohemian Waxwings by the pale lemon yellow flanks and absence of white
and yellow patches on the wing tips (Cedar’s just have the plain red waxy tips
as opposed to the many colours on the Bohemian).
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Cedar Waxwing - the waxy red wingtips are clear to see, as are the lemon yellow flanks |
A House Finch, presumably busy
collecting nesting material was a great spot by Alex, especially for Central
Park, and we were pleased to catch up with this stunning male in his fine red
breeding plumage. Our first Chimney Swifts of the trip chattered overhead, the
cigar shaped body apparent as they flew above us, and we followed them round
with our binoculars as they cut effortlessly through the sky.
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House Finch was a great spot for Central Park |
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Chimney Swifts chattered around our heads at almost every site |
Before long, we had
encountered our first warblers of the trip – a stunning male Magnolia Warbler was
busy feeding in a stand of conifers close by to East Drive, along with what we
initially presumed to be a female Yellow-rumped Warbler. With a bright yellow
belly streaked with black - like an artist had smudged him with splodges of
paint, we watched as the Magnolia flitted from branch to branch, often stopping
to pose out in the open. Having only seen a first winter Yellow-rumped Warbler
(the Durham bird) before in terms of American warblers, it was mind-blowing to
see these brightly coloured little birds – a far cry from our Willow Warblers
and Chiffchaffs.
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Magnolia Warbler - one of the commonest warbler species we saw during our trip |
Deciding to take some photos
while Alex headed further in to a grassy clearing, I focused on what I thought
was the yellow of the Magnolia Warbler and reeled off some shots. On closer
inspection however, this turned out to be the other bird –definitely not a Magnolia,
and now not so much looking like a Yellow-rumped either. Reminding me of a Palm
Warbler (yellow belly with faint streaking) I got the bird in my binoculars to
try and get a better look. However, with the light being terrible it proved
difficult to get any features, so I called Alex over to take a look at the
photos and we decided that it must be the female Yellow-rumped.
However, upon our return to
the UK and going through my images, I stumbled across my photos of this bird
and zoomed in for a closer look. Something still wasn’t quite right, and having
gained more experience as our trip progressed, I was now sure this wasn’t a
female Yellow-rumped. Checking my Sibley, the closest match was a female Cape
May Warbler – the thin, sharp, pointed bill, white and yellow toned belly with
slight dusky streaking and the dark eye markings absolutely spot on. A further
check on e-bird for Thursday 21st May also resulted in a Cape May
Warbler reported on that day – bingo! Mystery solved, and our belated 23rd
warbler species for the trip!
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Cape May Warbler - retrospectively IDed after we had got home! |
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The thin bill is apparent - as is the streaked breast |
Exploring the area around the
conifers revealed several more new species for us in quick succession, two
brown birds flitting around the trees were our first Warbling Vireos of the
trip, their flutey song matching perfectly to the recordings on Alex’s American
bird app.
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Warbling Vireo |
A pair of Mourning Doves sat peacefully on one of the boughs of the
tree, our first of what would be many of these easily approachable birds, while
a Common Grackle foraged on an open patch of grass nearby. With a glossy
blue-black iridescent plumage and startling bright yellow eyes, these beautiful
and charismatic birds were equally as common throughout – their bizarre and
alien-like calls following us around wherever we went.
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Mourning Dove |
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Common Grackles were another common species in New York |
Heading down towards the lake,
we came across our first woodpeckers of the trip, with two actively calling around
a presumed nest hole in one of the trees. Much too small to be Hairy
Woodpeckers, and with short stubby bills, these had to be Downy Woodpeckers.
Extremely small in size, these dainty woodpeckers are similar to our Lesser
spotted Woodpeckers back in the UK, with black and white barring and a touch of
red. Our first male Blackpoll Warbler of the trip caught our attention behind
us – one of the less colourful of the American warblers, being just black and
white, but extremely attractive none the less. Along with American Redstarts,
Common Yellowthroats and Magnolia Warblers, these black capped little birds
would prove to be one of the commonest warbler species over here, and we
quickly became familiar with their calls and appearance.
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Male Blackpoll Warblers, while not as colourful, were still stunning |
Walking further around the
water and with the afternoon getting later, Alex spotted a medium sized grey
bird flying between the bushes. Approaching closer to get a better look, we
caught sight of a jet black cap and rusty brown patches under the tail – a Gray
Catbird. Another common species throughout our trip, the calls often alerted us
to their presence.
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Gray Catbirds were one of the more numerous species in New York, seen at nearly every site in good numbers |
A rather different song soon caught our attention, and locating the bird in
question revealed a Song Sparrow sat amongst the grass, switching between
serenading us and feeding on the remains of seed and bread left from those
grabbing a quick bite to eat on the benches. Just a few metres away from us, we
got great views of this rather bunting-like little bird. With thick, bold
streaking on the chest, and brown, black and white striped facial markings,
this was one of the most familiar American sparrows, and we managed to see a
handful of these throughout the trip.
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Our best views of Song Sparrows were right at the start of our trip |
Another Common Grackle
approached, that too taking advantage of the leftover scraps, while a flash of
colour flying across the lake caused us to look around. Just managing to catch
a glimpse of scarlet patches with jet black wings, this could only be our first
Red-winged Blackbird of the trip – the birds were coming thick and fast.
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We had great views of Red-winged Blackbirds later on during the trip |
We moved off to under a patch
of trees next to what is Robert Wagner Cove, where a small drab warbler hopping
through the leaves turned out to be a female Common Yellowthroat, with a second
not too far behind in the next patch of bushes. Lacking the striking mask of
the male, the females had a bright sunshine yellow throat patch and a distinct
white eyering, and we stopped to watch as they foraged in the leaf litter – the
light slightly too dark for anything more than record shots.
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Female Common Yellowthroat |
Heading round the path and
over to the opposite side of Robert Wagner Cove, we came across an excellent
patch of mud at the side of the lake that looked perfect for attracting a whole
manner of birds to bathe in and drink from. During the trip, we often found
many of the warblers near water sources, and it was great to just watch and
wait as a steady stream of species would come in to take advantage of the relief
that the water offered.
In this particular patch, a
second bright yellow male Baltimore Oriole immediately caught our eye, stopping
to drink at the lakeside edge. A small sparrow also soon came in to view,
delicately hopping through the mud and looking for morsels – quite different
from the Chipping and Song we had already encountered. The bright white throat
patch could only mean one thing – White-throated Sparrow.
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Record shot of the White-throated Sparrow |
We watched as this
was then joined by a second sparrow (we originally wondered if this was a
female White-throated due to the small white throat patch) but it was much
drabber and reminiscent of a Dunnock back in the UK. Our sparrow ID in the
field not quite up to scratch on this occasion, we took several record shots
and belatedly identified it at the hotel as our first Swamp Sparrow – the
chestnut back and cap, predominantly grey face with just a single black line
through the eye and unmarked chest and belly nailing the identification. With
reports on e-bird not including many sparrows and with it getting on for the
end of May, we were doing incredibly well, picking up several wintering species
that should have left long before we got there.
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Dreadful record shot of the Swamp Sparrow - we were able to clinch the ID back in the hotel |
With the light now starting to
fade, we continued along the lakeside to a patch of trees that looked ideal for
holding warblers. We weren’t disappointed – another male Blackpoll Warbler gave
stunning views, while what we originally thought was a second Magnolia Warbler
later revealed itself to be our first Canada Warbler. One of my favourite
warbler species, we took in the striking yellow throat lined with a necklace of
thick black dots, the white ringed eye also diagnostic as it hopped through the
branches. Sadly, this was one of the few species that neither of us managed to
get a photo of, and being one of just 3 seen on the entire trip they were far
less common than I had expected.
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Blackpoll Warblers were relatively abundant |
Another small, brownish
warbler soon caught our eye. Still on our first day and not yet accustomed to
the many species of warbler in America, we struggled to get an ID in the field
– taking a few record shots and resorting to IDing it back in the hotel that
night. With a ginger cap and prominent double pale-yellow wing bar, we
eventually settled for a female Chestnut-sided Warbler – a great find,
especially so late in the day, and again one of only 3 seen all trip.
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Female Chestnut-sided Warbler |
Having finally reached the
Ramble, we came across another Downy Woodpecker, this time giving fantastic
views as it probed on a feeding station just a few feet away – definitely the
‘cutest’ woodpecker species here in America. Our first Northern Flicker of the
trip dashed across the trunks to the sides of the path, the gorgeous olive and
black speckled wings beautiful even in the fading light.
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The Downy Woodpeckers showed amazingly well on the specially constructed feeders |
Turning the corner in the maze
of paths, Alex spotted an Ovenbird creeping slowly in the leaves and hiding
away amongst the bushes. We managed to encounter four of these on our trip, and
this large species of warbler is unusual in that it spends a considerable
amount of time on the ground, strutting across the leaves like a tiny chicken
with its characteristic walk, quite unlike most other terrestrial songbirds. Quite
chunky in appearance, the thick black markings on the white belly and black and
orange striped cap were distinctive, and it was a species that Alex in
particular had especially wanted to find that day.
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Horrific record shot due to the light being so poor! Despite this though, the orange and black crown can just be made out! |
With the light now fading and
Alex’s target bird for the day in the bag, we turned around and headed back
through Central Park to the hotel, a nice perched Red-tailed Hawk being our
final new species of the day, giving amazing views on a branch right above our
heads.
A nearby Raccoon also provided
some entertainment as we photographed the hawk, creeping up the bank and trying
to approach some bemused passers-by.
Whilst heading in to the
middle of Central Park had been easy, getting out again proved far more
difficult. Not yet familiar with the many roads, paths and turnings, and
completely unaware of which side of skyscrapers we had come from, we wandered
around for half an hour before we made our way out - feet now aching and jet
lag starting to set in.
Despite only having half a
day, we had definitely made the most of our first afternoon in Central Park,
managing a respectable 27 lifers and seeing a host of great species already. The
next day would also prove key - with migration now coming to an end this would
be our best chance for such jewels in the warbler crown as Blackburnian, Black
and White and Black-throated Blue. With an excellent first day here in this magical
city, we celebrated with a delicious Italian pizza, ready for an early start the
next day to continue with our quest for our target warblers.
Central Park is the most beautiful attractions in the United States of America. It is very famous for its water, lush greenery, gardens and unique bridges, music and performance centers, and educational facilities. Recently I enjoy best bus tour in nyc with my best friend.
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